Preview: Gophers vs. Maryland

Having to go on the road to play a Top 25 team less than 48 hours after a hard-fought but disappointing home loss is probably not what the doctor ordered ““ at least not for a team that’s still significantly shorthanded. But, needless to say, the Gophers will still be trying their darnedest to help the Big Ten win its first-ever ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

Maryland will be by far the toughest opponent Minnesota has faced this year. It will be the Gophers’ first trip away from home. And Vincent Grier and Rico Tucker will still be missing. Dan Coleman is expected to be back, but it’s hard to know what to expect for him since he hasn’t practiced for a week for personal reasons. And, since I’m already on a whining streak ““Moe Hargrow twisted his ankle Monday night (but is expected to play). So this will be anything but easy.

Here are my Gopher Keys of the Game:

1. The One Positive. The one positive the Gophers can take from Monday night is how hard they played. They completely dominated the boards and worked their tails off in their not-quite comeback. That’s going to be a must against Maryland, because this is the first opponent who will be able to out-talent the Gophers. Maryland has size (3 of its top 4 scorers are 6’8″ or taller), athleticism, quickness, and depth. Minnesota is going to have to outwork them just to keep it respectable.

2. Play Your Game. If this game turns into a Maryland blowout (and it could), the Gophers can’t get down. They need to play their game for 40 minutes. A victory does not look likely, but valuable experience is still there to be gained ““ especially with 3 freshmen playing their first-ever road game. Whatever the gameplan is going in (it figures to feature more of Spencer Tollackson after Monday’s 21-point effort), they need to stick to it.

3. Defense. Minnesota can’t outscore Maryland. The Terrapins haven’t scored less than 75 this season, while Minnesota’s best effort is 72 (even when they had Grier). If the Gophers are going to win (or even stay close), this has to be a low-scoring game. That means the Gophers need to play 35 seconds of defense every trip down the court (and then get the rebound). And they can’t let Maryland’s athletes get out in transition.

I never like predicting a loss, but I just don’t see how the Gophers can win this game given the current state of their roster. With Vince and everybody back, it would still likely be an uphill battle. Without them, that hill is looking more like a mountain. A single-digit margin would be very impressive. My prediction: Maryland 80 Minnesota 62.

Talk about the game on our Gopher Basketball message board.